The FCIAC awards Exemplary Scholar-Athlete honors to players from its 16 member schools every season. Each week, the league will be announcing eight of those award-winners, two each from four schools, with bios and photos on FCIAC.net.
Here are the third weekly honorees for the Fall, 2024 season from Brien McMahon, New Canaan, Westhill, and Wilton.
Kennedy Ferdinand – Brien McMahon
This senior with an unweighted GPA of 3.86 while balancing her AP, IB, and honors classes has been a varsity athlete all four years of her high school career.
Kennedy has been a versatile player for McMahon’s girls’ varsity volleyball team since her sophomore year, and she was selected as a team captain at the end of her junior season. She has played almost every position and is heavily involved in the sport.
Kennedy has been a member of the Northeast Volleyball Club (NEVBC) in Norwalk since she’s been a freshman, and she balanced that along with being a long jumper, triple jumper and high jumper on Brien McMahon’s girls outdoor track and field team during the spring seasons. Kennedy has qualified for FCIAC and state championship meets every year and has collected many medals at invitational meets.
Kennedy is a peer tutor who is also heavily involved in many more volunteer organizations throughout the year, including: Kids Helping Kids, the STARS program, as an ambassador for CGS, and as a fundraiser for school events and organizations. She was elected co-president of CGS during her junior year.
Theo Beaven – Brien McMahon
Theo, a senior at the Center for Global Studies with an unweighted 3.9 GPA and a weighted 4.4 GPA, has been a high honor roll student since his freshman year while taking mostly IB classes as well as AP and honors classes. is also a 2025 National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.
He is a three-sport athlete who has been a team member of four boys’ sports teams during his four years. After playing soccer as a freshman, Theo switched over to cross country for is fall season sport when he was a sophomore, and he is currently the varsity team captain. He has also played hockey and tennis since his freshman year.
Theo is involved with the Global Philanthropy Leaders youth group at St. Juke’s Church and has volunteered on a service trip with Stellar International School in Malaysia. He wants to study International Relations in college.
Radea Raleva – New Canaan
This senior captain of the girls’ cross country team has excelled in the classroom and as a distance runner throughout all four years of her high school career. Radea has had a 4.0 unweighted GPA and been on the high honor roll all four years while taking all honors and AP classes.
She made the All-FCIAC Girls Cross Country First Team and All-State First Team as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Runners put themselves on the all-conference first team by placing among the top 15 at the annual FCIAC Cross Country Championships at Waveny Park in New Canaan. When Radea was a freshman she placed 12th at the FCIAC Championships, she placed sixth as a sophomore, was seventh as a junior, and during this senior season she made the All-FCIAC Second Team by placing 16th. Two years ago, Radea placed fifth to help lead New Canaan to a runner-up finish at the state Class L championship meet and last year she was 11th to help lead the Rams to the Class L team title. Radea has also been a key contributor to New Canaan’s girls’ indoor and outdoor track and field teams, with a major highlight being when she competed at the New Balance Nationals as a member of a 4-mile relay team.
At her school’s Recognition Assembly, she received the Department Award for Excellence in Chemistry during her sophomore year, and during her junior year she received the Department Award for Excellence in Language and Literature, and the Harvard Club of Fairfield Country Book Award.
Radea is a member of the National Honor Society and Tri-M Honors Society, for which she regularly volunteers at Waveny Care Center. She also enjoys taking part in her school’s theater and choir productions.
Simon Tchakarov – New Canaan
Simon is a football and basketball team captain who has been on the high honor roll every semester and is part of the National Honor Society.
He is also recognized as an AP Scholar with distinction and a Seal of Biliteracy in French.
Simon has been part of the New Canaan football team which has won state championships in the previous two years. The Rams won the 2022 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Football Playoffs with a 16-13 victory over Maloney and a year later Simon was selected to the FCIAC All-East Football Team after being a key contributor toward helping the Rams defend their Class L state championship with a 28-21 victory over Darien.
Simon plans on being a student-athlete at the University of Chicago next fall.
Defne Ceken – Westhill
This senior captain on the girls’ varsity volleyball team has been a standout starter since her freshman year.
Defne holds a weighted GPA of 5.0385 and is ranked ninth in her class. She is a member of the National Honor Society and serves as the secretary of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Her impressive athletic career includes being named MVP and selected to the 2022 All-FCIAC Girls Volleyball Third Team in her sophomore year, and a year later she made the All-FCIAC Second Team. She has been nominated as Ruden Report Player of the Week twice, winning the honor once.
Defne dedicates her time to tutoring young kids at Beyond Limits, highlighting her commitment to both sports and education.
Adriel Lemus – Westhill
Adriel has an unweighted GPA of 3.697 and he is ranked 89th in his Class of 2025 at Westhill High School.
He is a senior captain for Westhill’s football team, and this is his third consecutive year as a team captain as he has been one every year since his sophomore year. Last year Adriel was selected to the 2023 FCIAC All-West Football Team.
He is also a member of Westhill’s boys outdoor track and field team during the spring sports season.
Adriel volunteers for the community by giving advice, suggestions and tips on improving as young football players when he helps coach the seventh- and eighth-grade players on the Stamford Spartans team which is in the Stamford Youth Football League.
Mary Sylvester – Wilton
Mary has an unweighted GPA of 4.00 and is a four-year high honor roll student, taking mostly honors and AP classes.
She is a current captain of Wilton’s perennially strong field hockey team. Last season she was selected to the 2023 All-FCIAC Field Hockey First Team, she also made All-State First Team, and she was also recognized by MAX Field Hockey to its All-Northeast Second Team. MAX Field Hockey named her as a “player to watch” in the Northeast Region for this 2024 season.
Mary is a member of SafeRides, the National Spanish Honor Society, and she’s an ambassador for Morgan’s Message.
She will continue her academic and athletic career playing field hockey at Bucknell University next fall.
Or Eisdorfer – Wilton
Or has been a high honor roll student every quarter in high school and achieved a 3.95 unweighted GPA while maintaining a rigorous course load with honors and AP classes.
He has been a member of the Wilton High School Boys Golf team over the past three years.
Or is also a Fairfield County Math League Award honoree, a member of the Wilton High School Quiz Bowl team since freshman year (achieving #33 team in the country in 2023), and the co-president of the Stock Trading club.
Or volunteers at Filling in the Blanks and Habitat for Humanity, is a volunteer tutor in STEM, and has been volunteering as a counselor at a Wilton sports camp every summer since middle school.